Lights, Camera, Dark Rangers
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB The Rangers appear on a popular television show and Zedd creates evil Rangers.
1. TV Plans

LIGHTS, CAMERA, DARK RANGERS

DISCLAAIMER/AUTHOR'S NOTE

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. This is another ep that's been retooled. I hope you like it. I've brought back characters from early season two. Two names were taken from the episode guide on t.v. com and the rest I made up.

"And television as we know it was first introduced at the world's fair fifty years ago in 1939," Aisha stated. She pushed a tape into the VCR and pressed the "play" button. Then, the class watched as a short documentary played.

"That was a wonderful report, Aisha," Ms. Appleby said when the girl was done. Then, as she took her seat, "Class, can anyone remember from Aisha's report who is the father of television?" Various students raised their hands. "Bulk?"

"Captain David Sarnoff?" he guessed.

"He was a general, but yes," the woman corrected. Aisha looked at him in slight surprise. _He was paying attention to me? Wow_, she thought. "Class, today we learned about the power of television as a communication medium. Tonight, as you all know, the Power Rangers will be on t.v. to spread their special message about the power of education." The Rangers looked at each other excitedly. This was gonna be so cool! "Tomorrow in class, we will discuss what they had to say and how it affects you personally." The bell rang and the woman dismissed them. The students grabbed their books and headed out the door.

"Aisha, that was a great report," Bulk told her.

"Thanks, Bulk. I'm glad you liked it," Aisha responded.

"Hey, listen, do you want to come over and watch the Power Rangers with me and Skull tonight?" Bulk asked.

"Oh, shoot. I already made plans to watch it with the others. I'm sorry."

"No, don't worry about it. You shouldn't flake on your friends."

"Thanks for understanding. Record it for me and I'll watch it with you guys later?"

"Sure." Aisha hurried to catch up with her friends.

"Guys, I'm nervous. I've never liked being in front of cameras," Adam worried.

"Don't worry, Adam. You'll be morphed and no one will know who you are anyway," Aisha assured.

"Yeah, I know. But I still don't like cameras," Adam responded.

"Aw, come on. It'll be a blast," Zack told him.

"Yeah, and if you think about it, it's a great opportunity to reach out to kids and teens all across the world," Billy added, coming up beside him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Billy's right. It's a very important, positive message," Trini commented, coming up on the other side of Adam.

"It really **is** quite an honor," Jason added.

"Yeah. I can hardly believe it," Trini stated. Adam didn't look convinced.

"Come on," Billy said, and they started out.

"Hey, Jase!" Jason turned around at the voice.

"Hey, Justin, what's up?" he asked the teen, who was wearing a dark red shirt.

"Have you heard about this Power Ranger thing? It's gonna be **so** cool to see them on t.v.," Justin raved.

"Yeah, I can hardly wait," Tina added. Like Trini, she was wearing yellow.

"So, what do you guys think the Rangers will talk about besides their education message?" Hilary wondered.

"I don't know," Kimberly answered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, hey, is that a new bracelet, Kim?" Hilary noted.

"Uh-huh." The two girls continued to talk and Zane and Chris looked at each other and rolled their eyes. The newest Rangers looked at the group of five. Jason and the others hung out with them a lot, and Rocky, Adam, and Aisha noticed how the group seemed to match the other color-wise.

"Hey Billy, I'm working on this project and I can't quite figure out the systematics," Chris commented.

"Perhaps I can help. Say this weekend?"

"Awesome." The group dispersed and the Rangers once more continued on their way.

"They seem pretty nice. How come we don't hang out with them more often?" Aisha wondered.

"Because Zedd's been keeping us pretty busy lately," Jason responded. Meanwhile, Bulk met Skull at his locker.

"Hey Bulkie, are you and Aisha gonna come to my house and watch the show?"

"No, she already said that she had plans with the other goody-goods."

"Oh. Sorry, man." Bulk shrugged.

"No big deal. We can just record for her and---"

"And---watch it later, I assume?"

"Wait a minute! What if instead of watching the show, we **become** the show?"

"Uh…you wanna run that by me again?"

"It's simple. We get backstage of the talk show, then, when the time is right, we unmask those Power dweebs on national t.v." He laughed. "Believe me, this time, we are gonna be **rich **and famous!" While this was going on, Zedd was in his Chamber of Command.

"So, those star-struck Power punks want to send their message to the world? Well, I'll give them all a message to remember and annihilate the Power Rangers at the same time.

"He is truly the biggest star of them all," Baboo commented.

"Bigger than Elvis," Squatt agreed. Goldar rolled his eyes, but made no comment.

"Silence, you Blue berries for brains!" Zedd barked.

"Yes, silence!" Goldar interjected. He didn't need their babbling. "What is your plan, my lord?"

"Drain the power from the Rangers with my staff---you'll be able to do so even when they're un-morphed---and infuse their five friends with the stolen power. With them, I will make my Dark Rangers and destroy the world," Zedd instructed. _Oh, __**that**__ plan again?_ Goldar wondered. It hadn't worked before, so why did he think it would suddenly work now?

"As you wish," was all he said.

"After that, they will give **my** message on t.v."


	2. Message And Fight

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. Transitions may get confusing, so I apologize in advance. References to "Food Fight", "Fowl Play", "The Island Of Illusion Parts 1 & 2", and "Dimension Of Regret" ("Mirror Of Regret" retooled).

"You guys, I am **so** excited to be on the Harvey Garvey show," Kimberly raved.

"Yeah, what a cool way to spread our message," Tommy agreed.

"You know what? I'm starting to like this superhero stuff," Rocky stated.

"Yeah, and Angela will be **so** impressed!" Zack enthused. They laughed.

"Well, here's hoping Zedd decides to stay out of the television industry," Jason said.

"Oh, I know. It **would** be like him to try and ruin it for us," Trini agreed. Just then, Goldar and some Putties appeared. In his hand was Zedd's staff.

"Oh, man. What do they want now?" Adam wondered as the creatures spread out.

"Same as usual---**us**," Jason responded, and they all started fighting. As the Putties distracted the Rangers, Goldar zapped Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy with Zedd's staff. Zedd cackled as some of the Power went from the teens to his staff. Then, everyone disappeared.

"What was **that** all about?" Zack wondered.

"Good question," Adam said.

"Jase, I'm worried. I felt Power go out of me," Kimberly retorted.

"Yeah, so did I," Trini commented.

"Me too man," Zack confirmed.

"As did I," Billy stated.

"Yeah, I felt it too," Jason told them.

"Do you think we should keep a close eye on our communicators?" Aisha wondered.

"That's not a bad idea. I've got the feeling that Zedd's up to something **bad**," Jason replied.

"What do you want to do?" Tommy asked.

"Come on, we should get going," Jason decided. They continued. Back on the moon, Zedd laughed with evil pleasure.

"Excellent work, Goldar. Now go get me my Dark Rangers!" Goldar laughed and teleported himself to the beach where Justin, Hilary, Zane, Tina, and Chris were.

"Guys, look! It's that monster from the news!" Tina screamed. Immediately, Justin, Zane, and Chris put themselves in front of Hilary and Tina as the Putties started attacking. The five teens started fighting. Meanwhile, in the studio of the Harvey Garvey show, the audience was chanting one thing: "We want the Power Rangers!" Harvey Garvey came out.

"You want 'em?" he asked. The chant continued. "You want 'em?!" Again, the chant was continued. "You want 'em, you got 'em!" He then gave the audience a brief blurb, stating that they had become known as the town's saviors fighting off monsters with their powerful weapons and zords. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the one and only Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!" There were cheers as the nine Rangers came out, each displaying different martial arts moves as the stage lights erupted. The Red and White Rangers did a short kata with each other, and then, they all convened on the couch.

"That was fantastic," Harvey told them. "You know, it really is an honor having you all here today."

"Well Harvey, we're here to spread a message to kids all over the world," the Red Ranger stated. "The way to be cool is to stay in school."

"Yeah, you got that right," the Yellow Ranger agreed.

"It's the only way to get ahead," the Black Ranger commented. Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Great advice, Rangers." He turned to the audience. "Don't go away. We'll be back with more Power Rangers after this short commercial break." Bulk peeked out from behind the curtain. He motioned to Skull and they quickly ducked away.

"Okay, powder me up. I don't want to glow when I'm on camera."

"Okay, look up." Bulk did as he was told and Skull thrust a large makeup powder swab at him. He then powdered his friend's tongue. Back at the beach, the five teens had made no headway in defeating the Putties.

"These things have **got** to have a weak spot!" Chris shouted.

"Don't give up!" Justin cried. "We can beat them! We've just got to hold on!" In the studio, Harvey turned back to the cameras.

"We're back," he announced. "Now Rangers, our first question is: where did the Gold, Silver, and Purple Rangers come from?"

"Well, to summarize, Zedd's forces were getting stronger, we needed more power, and after a short quest, they joined the team," the Red Ranger answered.

"Just in time too," the Black Ranger commented.

"Yeah," the other Rangers agreed.

"I see." Then, "Did staying in school help you become Power Rangers?"

"Well, let's put it this way: you can't become a Power Ranger without first developing your mind," the Blue Ranger answered.

"You got it," the White Ranger agreed.

"And try to get good grades," the Purple Ranger encouraged.

"It helps," the White Ranger agreed again.

"Our education has even helped us to outsmart Zedd's evil monsters," the Silver Ranger stated.

"And Rita's too," the Pink Ranger chimed in.

"Yeah, every single one of the monsters that we've faced so far has had some special skill that required us to use our heads," the Gold Ranger informed Harvey.

"Can you give us a couple of examples of this?" Harvey requested.

"Well, there was Rita's Pudgy Pig," the Yellow Ranger recalled.

"Oh, man. That thing was so gross," the Pink Ranger remembered.

"Rita's plan was to have it eat the entire world's food supply," the Red Ranger told them.

"And it almost worked. It ate everything in sight," the Blue Ranger continued.

"Including our weapons," the Black Ranger said. While this was going on, Bulk and Skull were getting ready to implement their plan.

"Okay Skull, listen up. When I tell you let the third rope loose. That will in turn release sandbag number three which will then drop onto the Rangers, and then we jump right on stage and pull off their helmets."

"Got it, Dad-io." Skull went over to the equipment and found himself confused by all of the tabs.

"So, what did you do?" Harvey wondered.

"The Yellow Ranger figured out that it didn't like spicy foods," the Red Ranger answered.

"So we lured it in with food that it liked, hiding a radish in a sub sandwich," the Yellow Ranger said.

"And it worked," the Pink Ranger confirmed. "It got so sick it spit up our weapons, and we were able to defeat it."

"Then there was the time we fought the Peckster," the Black Ranger said.

"Yes, I remember him. Didn't you trick him with a bunch of balloons and a ball?"

"Yep."

"Yeah, that was awesome," the other Rangers said. The Gold, Purple, and Silver Rangers looked at each other.

"That's fantastic! You guys really do use your heads," Harvey approved. Backstage, Bulk motioned for Skull to make his move and the boy did so. However, instead of a group of bags dropping over the heads of the Rangers, a single bag fell at Bulk's side. He glared as his friend came up. The show was dismissed and came back shortly.

"Now, was there ever a time you guys had to overcome a situation using your head but not necessarily your education?" Harvey wondered.

"I got transported to Zedd's Dimension Of Regret, and I had to remember the confidence that I possessed inside of myself. I was able to do it with a little help from the other Rangers," the Silver Ranger said.

"Wow. That's great. What about the rest of you?" The six original Rangers looked at one another.

"Rita's Island Of Illusion," they chorused.

"Man, that was one **bad** place," the Red Ranger recalled.

"You see, this island of hers was able to make you see stuff that made you doubt yourself and then you would disappear. And in the same way the Silver Ranger had to stay strong, we had to think of positive things that would help us overcome the illusion," the Blue Ranger told him.

"Wow," Harvey said. Then, "Hey can you show our viewers how you do some of those **incredible** flying kicks?"

"Sure Mr. Garvey. How about we give you a little lesson?" the Yellow Ranger asked. Hesitantly, the man stood up and joined the Yellow and Red Rangers. They demonstrated the moves as he copied them, and then the Rangers gave an impressive kick. Harvey's kick however, landed him on his butt and the audience laughed.

"Kids, trust me---don't try this at home," he cautioned and then went back to his seat. Once they were seated, Bulk pulled a rope, joined Skull, and---a bag fell over his head. Skull immediately went over to help him.

"There's **gotta** be an easier way," Bulk said once the bag was off of him. Back on the beach, Chris, Tina, Justin, Hilary, and Zane fell to the ground in a heap.

"Yes! Now for phase two!" Goldar cheered as he zapped the teens. They groaned as waves of red covered their heads, enveloping their minds. Instantly, they were covered in suits similar in style to the Rangers' only instead of a diamond pattern, the suits were adorned in a large black "Z". "Now go Dark Rangers, go and destroy!"

"We obey!" With that, the Dark Rangers disappeared.


	3. Rangers Against Rangers

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. "Reference to "Trick Or Treat" the "Green With Evil" saga, and "Green No More Part 2". I bring in something mentioned at the end of "A Different Shade Of Power".

"Now White Ranger, this question's for you: whatever happened to the Green Ranger?" Harvey wondered.

"Uh…well, that's kind of a long story," the White Ranger fudged. Unnoticed by the host and audience, the Red Ranger's fist clenched in anger and the Pink Ranger squeezed his arm gently. In the Command Center, the monster alarm blared.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! The alarm! What terrible timing!" Alpha complained as he turned to the globe. "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Dark Rangers!" He watched as the five pulled out black Blade Blasters and fired them at random buildings.

"Alpha contact the Rangers at once." Alpha went to do so.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi. Isn't that always the way? First when Kimberly was about to win that car, and now this."

"So Rangers, what has been---" Harvey's question was cut off by a six-tone beep.

"Red Ranger here. Come in."

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! I'm sorry, Rangers! I know that this event is important, but Zedd has finally created his Dark Rangers out of civilians and they're tearing up downtown Angel Grove!"

"We're on it." As one, the Rangers stood up and went to the middle of the stage.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going!? Who was that?"

"Sorry, Harvey. Gotta go. Duty calls." Backstage, Bulk and Skull were frantically trying to get into place. Seeing the powder that Skull had used on him before, Bulk picked it up and put it over his face. He started stumbling, trying to find the rope. The Rangers got into position for teleportation.

"Remember kids, don't be a fool…"

"Stay in school!" the audience shouted. The Rangers teleported.

"Good luck, Rangers!" Harvey shouted as Bulk and Skull bumped into him and they all fell to the ground, causing the audience to laugh.

"Who are you guys?" Harvey demanded. Then, as he got up, "Wait. I don't want to know."

"But…we're friends of the Power Rangers!" Bulk exclaimed weakly. The Rangers landed in the city.

"All right, everybody. Remember, these guys are innocent people who have been placed under a spell. We've got to stop them, but let's try not to hurt them," the Red Ranger reminded.

"Right," the others agreed.

"You don't suppose one of them has a sword we can destroy in order to break the spell?" the White Ranger queried.

"Yeah, somehow I don't think it's gonna be that easy, Bro," the Red Ranger commented.

"Rangers. At last---a challenge," the Red Dark Ranger snarled.

"Let's crush them," the Pink Dark Ranger determined. With that, they leaped at the Rangers.

"Stop! You guys don't know what you're doing!" the Silver Ranger shouted.

"We know **exactly** what we're doing---destroying you," the Red Dark Ranger sneered.

"And we're doing it because Lord Zedd commands us to," the Pink Dark Ranger added.

"Hilary?" the Pink Ranger asked.

"Justin?" the Red Ranger gasped. "Man, what'd they do to you guys?" The Red Dark Ranger kicked the Red Ranger away. He let out a laugh as the other Dark Rangers flanked around him.

"Great. How are we supposed to stop them without hurting them?" the Purple Ranger wondered.

"You don't," the Blue Dark Ranger responded and then all attacked again. However, instead of Blade Blasters, they had weapons that mirrored that of the Rangers' only with black mixed in with their color. One-by-one, the Rangers fell to the ground.

"How are they so strong?" the Gold Ranger wondered.

"Zedd must've infused them with some of his power as well as our own," the Blue Ranger responded. The Dark Rangers began putting their weapons together.

"Guys, watch it. They're making the Power Blaster," the Black Ranger warned and they barely had time to dodge the attack.

"Whoa. That was close," the White Ranger said.

"Everyone all right?" the Red Ranger queried and his friends answered to the affirmative as they struggled to their feet. The Red Dark Ranger chuckled and pulled his sword from the weapon. Then, it glowed a brilliant red and he shot an energy beam at the Rangers.

"WATCH OUT!" They tried to get out of the way, but didn't make it. With pain-filled cries, the Rangers once more fell to the ground. _Man, the last time we faced off against a Ranger this strong was when Tommy was evil_, the Red Ranger thought to himself. The blast came again and this time caused the Rangers to demorph. The Dark Rangers laughed and advanced.

"Now to pay the price of defeat," the Red Dark Ranger mocked.

"Oh, no you don't," Tommy snarled, and he lashed out with an upwards kick, knocking the sword away. The Dark Rangers stared in surprise as for a moment the White Ranger's eyes flashed green.

"What the---" the Pink Dark Ranger pulled her bow back and let an arrow fly, allowing their leader to grab his sword. Jason stood up and charged him, but was knocked back. He tried to get up, but was pinned underneath the Red Dark Ranger's foot. Underneath his helmet, the Ranger smirked.

"Long live Lord Zedd." He started to strike then---he was hit with a flashback.

"_I got this one," Jason told him._

"_Thanks, man," Justin said in surprise._

"_No problem."_

"Jason?" the Red Dark Ranger asked. Then, he and his friends groaned.

"NO! THE SPELL'S WEARING OFF!" Zedd roared.

"I'm sorry your plan didn't work, my lord," Goldar said. Zedd growled and turned to him.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" The Dark Rangers groaned and dropped to their knees.

"Guys! Are you all right?" Billy asked. The Rangers knelt down by their friends and the costumes faded away.

"Man, my head," Zane moaned.

"Yeah, that'll fade," Tommy assured.

"You guys are the Power Rangers?" Hilary asked.

"Come on, let's get you to our Command Center," Jason declared. Then, they teleported.

"OOOH! MARK MY WORDS RANGERS, I **WILL** DEFEAT YOU!" Zedd roared, slamming a fist on the railing.

"Whoa. What is this place?" Chris wondered.

"This is our Command Center," Zack answered.

"And that's Zordon. He's just caught in a time warp," Kimberly said seeing their friends' shocked expressions.

"I am pleased to see that the five of you are all right. We have kept tabs on you ever since the first time you were captured by Zedd," Zordon told them.

"The---first time?" Justin asked blankly.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. You don't remember," Jason recalled.

"Zordon, will they be able to take the oath?" Rocky asked.

"Yes, Rocky. Alpha has done a background check and found that they contain the same qualities that you, Adam, and Aisha had when you found out," Zordon replied.

"Oath?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, it's important that our identities remain a secret," Jason responded.

"We'll take the oath," Justin decided.

"And we'll **never** betray you," Tina promised.

"Jason, would you like the honors?" Alpha asked.

"Thanks, Alpha," Jason said. "Repeat after me: I swear upon the forces of goodness---"

"I swear upon the forces of goodness---" Justin, Tina, Chris, Hilary, and Zhane repeated.

"To maintain the secret of the true identities of the Power Rangers," Jason finished.

"To maintain the secret of the true identities of the Power Rangers," the group echoed.

"Thanks, guys," Jason said.


	4. Class Discussion

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney.

The next day in class, the Rangers sat in their seats.

"Class, today we're going to test television's impact and discuss last night's most thrilling event," Ms. Appleby stated. "Students, what did you learn from the Power Rangers?" Everyone raised their hands.

"Yes, Jonathan?" Ms. Appleby asked.

"Well, if the Power Rangers think school is cool, then so do I," Jonathan said. The Rangers looked at each other and grinned.

"That's wonderful," she said. "Rocky, what about you?"

"Um, well Ms. Appleby, they really reached out and touched me," Rocky answered. Jason covered a laugh with a cough. _That's a nice save, Rocko_, he thought.

"Actually class, they've reached out and touched young people all over the world," Ms. Appleby told them. I want to share this fax I received all the way from Switzerland sent by your friends Brett, Jessica, and Peter." The Rangers looked at one another. "Hi, everybody. We just want you to know that everyone here at the Peace Conference in Geneva was touched by the Power Rangers' message. Education is perhaps the single most important stepping stone to world wide peace. We miss you all."

"Wow. I guess that proves it: t.v. really can help make our world a better place," Aisha stated. Ms. Appleby made a semi-attentive noise.

"Where are Bulk and Skull?" she asked. Just then, they walked in wearing very fashionable clothing.

"Oh, boy," Aisha said.

"This oughtta be interesting," Jason muttered.

"Hey, Babe. We've arrived," Bulk announced in a snobbish voice.

"Let's do lunch," Skull added in the same tone. Zack let out a snort and Kimberly stifled a laugh. _What are they doing?_ she wondered.

"Have your secretary call mine," Bulk continued. Jason started laughing, but once again hid it behind a cough. _These guys are ridiculous_, he thought to himself.

"We're big stars you know," Skull said. He turned to a girl in the first row. "Would you like my autograph?"

"Get a life, you dweeb," she responded with a scoff.

"Okay now, that's quite enough. Please take your seats so that we can continue class," Ms. Appleby told them. The boys did as they were told. "For being ten minutes late to class, you and Bulk will be staying in school-in **detention**-every day next week." As the other students started to laugh, they let out surprised exclamations and started pounding on their desks.

THE END


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